1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for controlling access to networks, and more particularly, to a system and method for strong access control to a network.
2. Background Information
A computer network may comprise two or more interconnected computer servers. The network includes network resources that enable interoperability of the interconnected servers. Network resources may include physical devices such as routers, hubs, firewalls, VPN, RADIUS, printers, and electronic devices. These electronic devices include may include a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), cellular phone, computer gaming equipment, and other known and emerging electronic devices. Network resources may also include data that is stored on public and private servers coupled to the network. The data may comprise web sites and web pages, script files, executable files, email files, and other data.
Network protocols comprise sets of technical rules as to how information is exchanged between interconnected servers and other devices of the network. Such network protocols include wire and wireless protocols such as TCP/IP, UDP, and network data packets.
One or more servers of the network may comprise an access control server, for controlling access to data stored on the network. The access control server may control data received by and transmitted from the network. The access control server may use different processes for granting users access to the network. A known challenge and response process may be used to authenticate a user. Alternatively, a user may be required to input a username and password in order to access a controlled web site.
A known disadvantage of prior art network access control methods is that once a user is authenticated, they may access controlled data on the network until they log off the network or their session is timed out. Thus, their network session may remain active during periods of inactivity, such as when a user temporarily departs from a computer they may be using. Another disadvantage of the prior art is, that a user may not need to be authenticated for each web page of a web site they may be accessing.